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In his Sept. 18 column for the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Madison, Wis., Bishop Robert C. Morlino writes that he has received a “multitude of requests” to set the record straight about a recent homily he gave on Catholic politicians. The Sept. 7 homily was prompted by remarks by Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, on “Meet the Press.” But the bishop said reports on his homily by members of the media who were not at the Mass — using terms like “irate” and “blast” — served to “stir up resentment and conflict within the church because, I suppose, that sells copy.”

At the heart of much of the reaction to his homily was a confusion about “what it means that the church is apostolic,” Bishop Morlino said. “My point was about Catholic instruction and mission,” he said. “It was not primarily about politicians or even pro-life.” The diocese’s Web site also features a link to an audio file of the bishop’s full homily.